The Nigeria Safety Investigative Bureau has responded to the recent report by the United States National Transportation Safety Board that detailed the cause of the helicopter crash that claimed the life of the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, alongside his wife, son, and three others.

The NSIB in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, on Wednesday, differed with the NTSB’s submission that mostly blamed the pilot of the ill-fated helicopter.

The NSIB stated that the pilot alone should not be blamed for the unfortunate incident, stressing that the system that should have mitigated the situation had its own failures.

NSIB is the multimodal transport agency in Nigeria responsible for promoting transport safety and conducting objective and thorough investigations into transport accidents.

The NTSB, on the other hand, is the counterpart agency in the United States charged with fulfilling the same function as the NSIB.

The  NTSB, in its final recently released report, cited “pilot disorientation” and a violation of flight protocols, especially the decision to proceed under visual flight rules in instrument meteorological conditions, as key causes of the crash.

While countering the NTSB report, the NSIB also debunked claims that it jointly investigated the matter with the American Transport board, adding that it was only updated with the process.

About 24 hours earlier, in an exclusive chat with our correspondents, the Director-General of the NSIB, Alex Badeh, confirmed to The PUNCH that the final report of the NTSB was shared with its Nigerian counterpart.

But when asked what the view of the NSIB was on the report, Badeh refused to comment, saying the agency does not comment on accident reports, as the report’s essence was not to apportion blame but to improve safety across the sector.

However, in its response to the NTSB report, the NSIB in its statement said, “It appears there were systemic issues, and the flight risk assessment should have indicated a higher risk. While it’s easy to blame the pilot, there is a system behind the pilot that should have mitigated these risks.”

Also in February 2024, the NSIB said it offered its full cooperation to the NTSB in the investigation of the tragic crash that resulted in the death of the banker and five others.

Speaking through the latest statement, the director-general clarified that, “the NSIB did not work side-by-side with the US National Transportation Safety Board” on the investigation of the accident, adding that “we were an interested party, and were kept abreast of the process by the NTSB, who led the investigation in the US.”

The NSIB boss further dispelled a statement credited to a US department suggesting Nigerian airports were generally unsafe.

While admitting that there are challenges facing the airports in the country, Badeh said context and metrics should be considered before such general positions are made.

“While there is always room for improvement, the NSIB does not concur with the assessment that Nigerian airports are generally unsafe. It’s crucial to consider the context and metrics used in such evaluations, “Badeh stated.

He further said challenges such as perimeter fencing and instances of wildlife intrusion exist at some airports. However, he emphasised that these were not unique to Nigeria and occur at airports globally, including in the United States.

“It’s unfair to generalise that our airports are totally unsafe. We recognise the need for continuous improvement, and we commend the efforts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in implementing upgrades,” he stated.

Also commenting on the recent incident in Asaba, where an aircraft was reported to have encountered animals on the runway, the DG explained that the aircraft was fine and continued its journey to Abuja without any damage.

He added that the incident was reported to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Since there was no significant issue, it was not reported to the NSIB.

“We plan to reach out to the private entity managing the airport to discuss best practices. Such occurrences involving animals on runways are rare in Nigeria,” Badeh noted.